From Drowning in DEI Tasks to Strategic Impact

Last week, I had a DEI practitioner client frantically juggling three separate initiatives: a pay equity review, an update to a recruitment policy, and an International day of disability event. “I’m doing everything,” she sighed, “but sometimes it feels like I’m achieving nothing.” Her calendar was full, her task list was endless, and her impact felt diluted.

This scene plays out in organisations everywhere: DEI professionals drowning in a sea of well-intentioned initiatives, struggling to come up for air long enough to see if any of it is actually creating change.

I get it. I’ve been there – caught in the cycle of reactive responses, urgent requests, and the constant pressure to address every DEI challenge simultaneously. It’s like trying to bail out a boat with a teaspoon while also steering it and watching for icebergs.

But here’s what I’ve learned: The volume of DEI work isn’t a measure of its impact. In fact, sometimes our busiest periods are our least effective.

Consider this: When we’re overwhelmed by tasks, we can’t be as thoughtful in our approach. We might roll out cultural awareness training without examining how it serves our neurodivergent team members. Or we improve the recruitment policy but fail to plan out the communication and implementation so the policy sits idle for 2 years.

The shift from drowning to strategic impact isn’t about doing more – it’s about doing different.

Here’s what this transformation looks like in practice:

Instead of rushing to implement every DEI initiative that crosses your desk, ensure you have clear plan and then place that initiative within the plan. 

• Does this help us meet our defined goals? 
• How will we be able to demonstrate the impact? 
• Is there a different action already in our plan that will do it better? 

Having a plan that is based on the experiences and needs of your stakeholders gives you confidence that you are on the right path. Even if the actions change, being able to place the new proposed actions in the framework of our overall goals allows us to simplify our prioritisation. It’s very easy otherwise to jump to the next shiny thing.

Also, rather than treating each DEI challenge as an isolated issue, look for the interconnected patterns. When you spot a recruitment barrier affecting women, dig deeper. How does this barrier impact women of color? Disabled women? Trans women? This layered understanding leads to more comprehensive, effective solutions. And saves time and effort in the long run.

Stop trying to be everywhere at once. Strategic impact comes from identifying your highest-leverage opportunities and pursuing them with focus and intention. One DEI professional reduced their task load significantly by consolidating initiatives and addressing root causes rather than symptoms.

The reality is, effective DEI work isn’t about checking boxes or maintaining a frantically busy calendar. It’s about creating sustainable, systemic change and engaging our people with the change.

Ready to move from drowning to strategic impact? Start by asking yourself these questions:

• Which of your current initiatives could have greater impact if viewed through an intersectional lens?
• Where are you spreading yourself too thin, and what would focusing on fewer, deeper initiatives look like?
• How might slowing down actually help you move faster toward real change?

Because when we shift from reactive task-management to strategic impact, we don’t just save ourselves from drowning – we create waves of meaningful change that reach every corner of our organisations.

If you need help moving towards strategic impact consider a 3 month coaching package with me where we will define goals and create healthy practices to move you away from burnout and towards impact.